Despite their rich history and prestige, the New York Knicks have a knack for missing out on top talent. Stephen Curry, Donovan Mitchell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are just a few stars the team has seen slip through their fingers. Though, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar could be the biggest one of them all.

The Los Angeles Lakers legend had first envisioned playing for the Knickerbockers when he was still a youth known as Lew Alcindor. Abdul-Jabbar would later jump on the bandwagon of a 1960s dynasty.

“When I was a kid I wanted to be a Knick, but Bill Russell was the best player and his teams won, so I kind of switched allegiances. Then as a pro, they were our major enemy,” Abdul-Jabbar told ClutchPoints during an NBRPA event at 2023 All-Star Weekend.

The story goes that the NBA and cultural icon had requested a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks and named the Knicks as his choice for a destination. Abdul-Jabbar was raised in Harlem and wanted to return to his roots. Obviously, the organization did not capitalize, for unfortunate reasons. Kareem landed on his feet all the same, just in LA.

Abdul-Jabbar brought up an important point about the Knicks and Lakers being bitter rivals. The battles between the Celtics and Lakers throughout the 1980s went down as one of the defining and most pivotal eras in the history of the NBA. The Knicks and Lakers rivalry cannot be overlooked, though, and was instrumental ushering in that eventual peak.

From 1969-73, the two franchises met in the NBA Finals three times, with the Lakers winning twice. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had not entered the picture yet, but had the Knicks got the six-time MVP, who knows how many more chapters could have been added to the rivalry.

Not to mention the banners.

Watch the full interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: